Wine and the Rhine. One might say they go together like peanut butter and jelly. It’s a combination that can’t be beat, which is why the annual Rheingau Wine Festival is one of the highlights in Wiesbaden, Germany, part of the Rheingau wine growing area. Taking place between city hall, market church and parliament from August 10 to August 19, the famous festival features tastings of still and sparkling wines at over 100 stands. The event also includes sumptuous catering and a varied musical program, promising a convivial experience for all.

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Among Europe’s biggest city parks, the English Garden in Munich, Germany, rivals New York City’s storied Central Park. An outstanding example of a classical landscape garden, it comprises woodland, meadows and water. Its network of pathways includes bridle paths and over 100 bridges and footbridges. Extending from the Court and Finance Gardens at Odeonsplatz into the open countryside far to the north of the city, this inner-city playground begun in 1789 counts more than 5 million visitors annually. A popular meeting point is the Chinese Tower, where a 7,000-seat beer garden is one of the biggest in Bavaria.

Part of Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park, Germany’s island of Sylt is the largest North Frisian island and the fourth largest island in the country. Referred to as the Queen of the North Sea, its popular holiday resorts (Morsum, Keitum, Rantum, Hörnum, Kampen and List) make it an attractive summer destination. Known for its tranquil beaches, a visit would be incomplete without a stop at the aquarium in Westerland, boasting a fabulous collection of North Sea and tropical fish. See more marine life in its natural habitat via a guided boat trip at the Wadden Sea, the largest unbroken area of mudflats in the world. The Hindenburg Causeway joins the island with the mainland.

Bavaria’s Furth im Wald is the site of the Drachenstich (Slaying of the Dragon), the oldest traditional folk festival in Germany. Dating back 500 years, the spectacle includes a re-enactment of the slaying of a mythical dragon that threatened the town in the Middle Ages. And what a dragon it is. The four-legged walking robot measuring nearly 50 feet is the biggest in the world (recorded in the Guinness Book of Records), spewing fire and ambling amongst costumed locals, horses and medieval knights. The festival begins tomorrow and ends on August 20.

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Dortmund, the largest city in Westphalia, lies on the eastern edge of the Ruhr in Germany’s historic Hellweg corridor. Once home to a thriving steel and coal industry, its industrial heritage is barely evident in the thriving tech-driven city seen today. That small army of industrial workers also meant there was plenty of thirst to quench; Dortmund became one of the largest beer producers in the world. Visitors can learn all about the triad of industrialization in the region by visiting the Brewery Museum on Steigerstraße 16.

At the German Clock Museum in Furtwangen you’ll journey through time. The Black Forest venue, appropriately located in the center of clockmaking, recounts time measurement tools from all periods leading up to the atomic clock. Its exhibitions (the nation’s largest clock collection) feature foreign clocks, quartz clocks, everyday timekeepers and, of course, the region’s best known export, the cuckoo clock. Ever wonder why the little bird is in a miniature house? All will be revealed.

Arnsberg Forest Nature Park forms one of the largest contiguous wooded areas in Germany. Located in North Rhine-Westphalia, the 186-square-mile expanse offers visitors hours of walks along well-established paths. It’s easy to understand why it’s one of the most popular recreation areas in the region, with attractions like the Bilstein Caves in Warstein, the Beaver Trail in Rüthen and Lake Möhnesee, the largest reservoir in the area and a water sports hub. If it’s the sheer beauty and quiet of nature you seek, then the Sauerland Forest Route’s 149 enchanting miles will surely not disappoint.

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